Tracing machine

ABSTRACT

A PATTERN REPRODUCING DEVICE WHICH CHANGES ONLY THE HEIGHT OF COPIED MATTER WITHOUT DISTORTION OF OTHER DIMENSIONS BY SELECTION OF CRITICAL RATIOS OF LENGTH OF PARTICULAR PANTOGRAPHIC ARMS ACTUATING A PATTERN FOLLOWER AND REPRODUCER.

| R. HAfEM TRACING MACHINE Jan. 19, 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 5, 1969 STRIP-VA Jan. 19, 197.1 L. R. HATEM 3,555,685

TRACING MACHINE Filed May 5. 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /N V N70 EON R. HQTEM United States Patent O 3,555,686 TRACING MACHINE Leon Raoul Hatem, 1 Allee de Colmar, 93 Rosny-sous-Bois, France Filed May 5, 1969, Ser. No. 821,736 Claims priority, application France, l May 8, 1968, 150,908 Int. Cl. B43l 13/10 U.S. Cl. 33-23 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pattern reproducing device which changes only the height of copied matter without distortion of other dimensions by selection of critical ratios of length of particular pantographic arms actuating a pattern follower and reproducer.

The object of the invention is to provide a device for reproduction of patterns, such as letters of the alphabet, with variation of comparative dimensions and/or of relative angles of portions of the pattern.

According to the present invention, a pattern-reproducing device comprises a linear guide member, a support movable along the guide member, a first element mounted on the support and rotatable about a first axis normal to a plane conaining the line of movement of the support, said first element having a point of connection respectively for a copying tool or a patternfollower tool at a radius from said rst axis, a second element mounted on the support and rotatable about a second axis normal to said plane, said first and second axes being spaced in said plane both along the direction of movement of the support and normal thereto, said second element having a point of connection respectively for a pattern-follower tool .or a copying tool at a radius from said second axis, and a coupling member pivotably connected to the first' element and to the second element.

Two embodiments of the device are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein: 4

lFIG. 1 is a diagram to show the principle of the device with simple levers;

`FIG. 2 is a diagram to explain the operation of a device with two-arm levers;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device;

'FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a similar device, with a pattern and an engraving machine;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are plan views, on a smaller scale, to show respectively horizontal and vertical increase of a dimension ofthe pattern;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are plan views, on a similar scale, to show respectively anti-clockwise and clock-wise deformation of a pattern.

Referring to FIG. l, the line x-x' is `the axis of transverse movement of a support S along a guide (not shown). On the support S a first element OP is pivotable about a first axis O', and a second element OQR is pivotable about a second axis O. The point P of the' first element is connected to the point Q of the second element by a coupling member PQ. A pattern-follower tool is mounted at point R, to be moved over a pattern in the shape of a letter E, and a tracing tool is mounted at point P to copy the pattern. If it is desired to reproduce the copy with the vertical lines onlyr two-thirds of the height of the corresponding vertical lines of the pattern, the ratio of the lengths OR to OQ is made as three to two, and the ratio of the lengths OQ to OP is also made as three to two.

In FIG. 2 a carriage G is movable along a guide rail xx'. An arm ABC is pivoted at B on a rigid arm H fixed to the carriage G, so that the lengths AB/BC represent Patented Jan. 19, 1971 rice the desired ratio of the respective heights of a pattern and of a resultant copy. An arm FED is pivoted at E' on a rigid arm J fixed to the carriage G and the lengths FE and ED are equal, whilst the lengths BC and ED have the same desired ratio mentioned above.

A coupling arm CD is pivoted at C on the arm ABC and at D on the arrn FED. When the pattern follower tool at A is at mid-height of the pattern, in the shape of a letter =E, the arms ABC and FED are substantially parallel to the rail xx', and the coupling arm CD is substantially perpendicular to the arms ABC and FED.

When the tool atfA is caused to follow the pattern, the horizontal strokes made by the copying tool at F are of the same length, whereas the vertical strokes are reduced by the ratio ED divided by BC. If the pattern-follower tool is placed at F and the copying tool at A, then the inverse ratio is obtained.

In practice, the device introduces a curvature into thev vertical line reproduced, but the degree of curvature is negligible.

FIG. 3 shows theI device having a cylindrical guide rail 1 fixed on a base (not shown). A carriage 2 is mounted movably on the rail 1 by supporting rollers 3 and 7, and lateral guiding rollers 4, 5 and 6, the roller 6 lbeing adjustable by means .of an eccentric, for taking up play. Arms 8 and 11 arer secured rigidly to the carriage 2 by means of respective finger nuts 10 in slot 9 and 13 in slot 12. A slide 17 is pivoted at 18 on the arm 8 and receives slidably an arm 14 Iwhich can be locked by a screw 33 in a slot 16. The arm 14 receives at 15 a pattern-follower tool such as a needle. Arm 14 is pivoted at 31 to a slide 19 in which a transverse coupling bar 20 can be locked by a finger nut 22 in slot 21. The bar 20 is pivoted at 30 on a slide 2-8 securable to an arm 23 by a finger nut 29 in a slot 25. A slide '26 is pivoted at 3-2 on the arm 11, and receives slidably the arm 23 securable by a finger nut 27. The arm 23 carriesf the tracer tool such as a graving instrument, at L24, orIis coupled at 24 to a pantograph or other control device for an engraving machine. Finger nuts 10, 13 and 22can be released to permit adjustment of the separation of the arms 14 and 23 with -respect to each other and the iail 1.

Screw 33 and finger nut 277 can be released to permit adjustment of the slides 17 and 26 along their respective arms, for altering the reproduction ratio.

FIG. 4 shows a similar device in perspective, the pattern-follower tool v15a being moved along the subject letter A, and instead of a tracer tool the point 24a is connected through a linkage L, Iwhich might be a pantograph (not shown), to a graving machine tool T.

FIG. 5 illustratesereduction of height of a subject letter E whilst keeping the width the same. IFIG. 6 illustrates inversion of the device to permit increase ot the height of a subject letter A whilst keeping the width the same.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show that, if the device is set up with the transverse coupling bar 20 not initially at a right angle to the rail 1, the resultant letter M is deformed anti-clockwise (FIG. 7), or clockwise (FIG. 8).

The device may be constructed in mirror-image manner it it is desired to position it to the right-hand side of the pattern, instead of to the left-hand side as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

I claim:

1. In a pattern reproducing device comprising:

(a) a linear guide member;

(b) a support movable along said guide member;

(c) a first element mounted on said support and rotatable about a first axis normal to a plane containing the line of movement of said support, said rst element having a point of connection respectively for a copying tool or for a pattern follower tool at a radius from said first axis;

(d) a second element mounted on said support and rotatable about a second axis normal to said plane, said rst and second axes being spaced in said plane both along the direction of movement of said support and normal thereto, said second element having a point of connection respectively for a pattern follower tool or for a copying tool at a radius from said second axis; and

(e) a coupling member connected by a first fixed pivot means to the first element and connected by a second xed pivot means to the second element, wherein the line joining the points of pivotable connection of said coupling is normal to the line of movement of said support when the said rst and second elements are parallel to the line of movement of said support; the improvement in which the ratio of the radius of the tool point from the second axis and the radius vof the coupling point of the second element from the second axis is approximately equal to the ratio of the radius of the coupling point of the second element from the second axis and the radius of the tool point of the rst element from the first axis.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 731,066 6/1903 Nye 33-23(D) 2,185,011 12/1939 Anderson 33-23(D) 2,507,045 5/1950 Parr 33-23(D) 2,984,010 5/1961 Newcomb 3323(D) FOREIGN PATENTS 1,012,207 12/ 1965 Great Britain 33-23 (D) HARRY N. HARDIAN, Primary Examiner 

